11:57 PM,
Apr. 3, 2013

Rebekah Warren

Written by

Rebekah Warren
Detroit Free Press guest writer

Last fall, we heard the story of Savita Halappanavar, a 31-year-old dentist who was 17 weeks pregnant. She sought treatment for severe back pain on Oct. 21 at a local hospital in Galway, Ireland. When doctors told her she was miscarrying, Halappanavar repeatedly asked that they help terminate the pregnancy, only to be told that she could not get the medical care needed to save her life because "this is a Catholic country."

Three days later, after the fetal heartbeat had stopped, doctors removed the fetal remains, but it was too late to save Halappanavar. On Oct. 28, she died from septicemia, a ...